


midnight phone calls

by froggieyama



Series: phone calls and cat food [1]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Airports, Argentina National Team, Canon Compliant, Cats, Deaf Character, Haikyuu!! Manga Spoilers, Injury, Long-Distance Relationship, Long-Term Relationship(s), M/M, Nightmares, Pet Names, Phone Calls & Telephones, Police Officer Sawamura Daichi, Pro Volleyball Player Oikawa Tooru, Reunions, Teacher Sugawara Koushi, Volleyball, Zoo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-15
Updated: 2020-05-15
Packaged: 2021-03-03 02:40:49
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,351
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24197620
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/froggieyama/pseuds/froggieyama
Summary: oikawa's playing overseas, and suga hasn't see him in six monthsthe three weeks until he's home feel like they last a lifetime
Relationships: Oikawa Tooru/Sugawara Koushi
Series: phone calls and cat food [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1746397
Comments: 5
Kudos: 107





	midnight phone calls

**Author's Note:**

> this is the first time i've stuck so fully to canon,,, i hope it works out okay!

“Koushi…” Oikawa whines over the video call, rolling over to meet Suga’s eyes through the screen.   
“Yes, Tooru?”   
“I miss you. I can’t wait for the season to be over so I can come home.”   
Suga’s eyes soften, and a light blush dusts his cheeks. “I miss you too, Tooru. It’s only a few weeks until you come home, isn’t it?”   
Oikawa whines again. Suga falls in love just a little more. “Yeah, but I want to see you  _ now _ !”    
  
Suga giggles and sits up, knowing full well that his bare chest is on display. Oikawa coughs and cusses at him, saying something about how Suga’s a tease. 

Suga grabs his phone and hauls himself out of bed. He loves work, he really does, but he’d kill for just another half hour in bed speaking to his boyfriend.    
  
Oikawa rambles about his teammates as Suga makes himself breakfast, sharing the latest gossip from Argentina. It makes Suga feel warm, seeing his boyfriend so comfortable, but the warmth can’t hide the pangs of jealousy that make his heart ache.   
  
“Are you going to watch my game tomorrow?” Oikawa asks.    
Suga thinks about it, trying to conceal a yawn. “I’ll try, but we’ll see. Your home games are always in the middle of the night for me.”   
Oikawa hums, disappointed.    
“I know you want me to,” Suga continues, “but I have to take the kids out on an excursion today and there’s no guarantee that I won’t be exhausted.”   
“Okay, love,” Oikawa purrs, “I’ll tell you about it when we speak next, hm?”

Suga gives the screen a timid smile. He’s too tired to say something snarky back. “I have to go, Tooru. I have to shower and then head to school.”   
“Are you sure I can’t just watch you while you’re showering? It’s nothing I haven’t seen before.”   
  
Suga splutters, almost choking on his coffee. “You are  _ not _ watching me shower, you pervert.”    
“I was only joking, love,” Oikawa chuckles with a smile.    
“Okay… I love you. Good luck on your game tomorrow.”   
“Love you too Koushi, have fun wrangling your class.”   
Suga huffs, “I won’t. Be safe.”   
  
Oikawa gives him a grin, “Only for you, amor de mi vida.”   
“Shut up, sap.”   
“Love you.”   
“Love you too.”   
  
Suga ends the call with a sigh. These three weeks can’t go fast enough. 

* * *

Suga loves his class, he really does, but when he’s running on 3 hours of sleep and desperately missing his boyfriend, everything about a bunch of 10-year-olds screaming about animals makes him want to cry. He’s so tired he might just fall asleep to the sounds they play over the speakers in the aquarium. 

Being an elementary school teacher has always been something that fitted Suga so comfortably. He’d been a good senpai in school himself, so it just felt right for him to teach. He’d been lucky, in a way, that when he disclosed that his partner was another man, admin had only given him smiles and a reminder that his partner visiting couldn’t distract him from teaching. Considering Oikawa was one to drop food off along with a demand for a kiss, it felt comforting to know that they didn’t mind. That he was fully qualified to teach and who he dated was none of their concern. And when he asked about being honest about his relationship status when his class asked, he was once again told that the school was no place for discrimination.    
  
And just like that, he settled in.    
  
“Sugawara-san,” one of the littlest in his class said on his first day of teaching.    
“Yes, Miyo-kun?”   
“Do you have a girlfriend?”   
He laughed, gentle and warm. “No, Miyo-kun, I have a boyfriend.”   
The whole class burst into discussion. Who was this man? Did he work at the school? They needed to know desperately.    
“I won’t tell you anything until you do your spelling,” he grinned. 

He learnt very quickly that his boyfriend was the best defence he had against his class.

  
  


* * *

His class is well behaved at the zoo. They ask lots of questions and listen when the guide asks them to. They don’t run off, which Suga is thankful for, and all except one has remembered to bring lunch or money to get some. 

Though he isn’t supposed to have favourites, Yuki certainly takes the cake easily. She is small and shy and reminds Suga a lot of Yachi.    
  
“I don’t have any food, Sugawara-san,” she whispers.    
“Do you have any money, then?”    
She shakes her head. Suga hums, pulling out his wallet and searching for some spare yen. He finds enough to buy them both lunch, and ushers her to follow him. 

“What do you want to eat?” He asks, looking at the large display cabinet full of food. She points to a small, otter-themed bento box. It will cost him over half of the money he has, and will limit what he can eat to one or two rolls of sushi, but she’s so damn cute that Suga can’t say no.    
  
Her face lights up when he places the bento in her hands, eyes going wide and a smile forms on her lips. “Thank you so much, Sugawara-san!”   
Suga looks at her fondly, “You’re welcome, Yuki-chan.”

God he wants a kid. 

* * *

After a long day of looking after his class, Suga just wants to take his hearing aids out, pet their cats, and pass out on the couch for a few hours. Unfortunately, not everything goes to plan.    
  
Standing outside his door, waiting, is a sheepish-looking Daichi, still in his work uniform. If Suga didn’t know that Daichi still felt separation pains, he would think he was in trouble.    
“Good afternoon, officer.” Suga giggles, whacking his best friend on the shoulder.    
Daichi jumps, “Jeez, Kou, you scared me.”    
“Coming in for a cup of tea?” Suga smiles, adjusting Daichi’s cap. 

Daichi nods, “If that’s not too much of a hassle.”   
“Of course not.”

Two cups of piping hot tea later, they sit comfortably at Suga’s kitchen counter. Both of the cats sit near them, eyeing the cookies Suga has placed in the middle of the table.    
  
“How have you been?”   
“Honestly? It’s been tough lately,” Daichi sighs, holding his cup between his hands. “Had a massive spike in petty theft and graffiti and I’ve been left to pick up the pieces. How about you? Still coping with Mr. I Play Volleyball In Argentina, being in Argentina?”   
Suga gives a smile, though he’s not sure if he means it. “I miss him, Dai. He has a game on tonight and I’m not there to support him, and I don’t know if I have the energy to stay up to watch it.”   
Daichi reaches over the bench and runs a gentle hand through Suga’s hair. “I’m sorry.”   
“It’s not your fault. It’s not really his either. I’m just tired and lonely and can’t wait for him to be home,” Suga mutters.    
“Kou, we’ve been friends for over a decade now. You’re welcome to stay at mine or drop in at the station if you ever just need  _ someone _ , alright?” His hand travels from Suga’s hair to his cheek, cushioning him. 

Man, Suga’s missed the touch of someone who’s his age. He leans into it, closing his eyes.    
“Thanks.”   
“I love you, Kou. And I mean it.”   
Suga allows himself to smile, if only a little. “I love you too.”

* * *

Oikawa ends up winning his game, as usual. Suga has set himself an alarm but manages to sleep through it. When Oikawa calls him the next morning, Suga begins to apologise. Oikawa tells him that it doesn’t matter, that his sleep is more important.    
  
“I guess…” Suga murmurs, “but I still feel bad.”   
“Koushi, love. I hate seeing you so tired all the time. If you have to choose between my games and your sleep, always pick sleep.”

They sit in comfortable silence for a while after that, Suga pondering over a cup of coffee and Oikawa busy doing finger exercises. It reminds Suga a lot of when Oikawa’s home, even though that hasn’t been a reality for over a year and a half now.    
  
It’s easier for Suga to fly over to visit Oikawa than the other way around. When school holidays come he gets on a plane and goes to Argentina, only stopping to drop their cats off at Kenma’s place on the way. He knows the airports like the back of his hand now. 

Fuck he misses Oikawa.   
  


* * *

A week goes by and then another, Suga desperately trying to keep himself awake to watch the end of Oikawa’s tournament. He ends up with massive bags under his eyes which he hides with makeup. The kids have noticed, but think it’s because he likes wearing it more than the fact he hasn’t gotten more than four hours of sleep a night in the last two weeks. Between watching Oikawa’s games and the crippling anxiety that comes from knowing his boyfriend will be home soon, Suga can’t keep his mind clear enough to sleep. And when he does, he gets awoken by terrible nightmares of Oikawa being injured, or Oikawa never getting home at all. He tries not to think about it, but he’s always been afraid of planes, always fears that the one Oikawa’s on will crash.    
  
He forgets what Oikawa says about choosing sleep over watching the games. At this point, sleep is something he barely remembers.    
  
The kids see he’s drained, but he tries not to let it affect his teaching. He puts on a brave face and a big smile even though he’d much rather take a nap underneath the desk. At duty, when some kids start screaming at each other, it takes everything he’s got not to swear at them.    
  
“Sugawara-san?” one of the students in his class asks.   
“Yes?”   
“What’s your boyfriend’s name?”   
Suga tries not to cry. “His name’s Oikawa. He’ll be home next week.”   
“Sugawara-san, will you bring Oikawa-san in to meet us?”   
Suga thinks, if only for a moment. “I’ll have to ask the principal, but maybe.”   
The class lights up. He’s been trying to keep talk of his boyfriend on the down-low, he really has, but when a kid asks, he can’t stop himself from answering. 

* * *

  
  


Oikawa has his grand final in the middle of the week. Suga doesn’t sleep at all that night. 

The game is really tough. Suga watches as both teams fight until the very end. Argentina wins the first set, then the opposition the second, and the pattern repeats itself. The fifth set stretches out longer than it should have, reaching the mid-twenties. Suga can see the exhaustion on Oikawa’s face, knee trembling from underneath the kneepad.    
  
He’s set to serve again, though they both know that there’s no way his leg will hold out through another jump serve.    
“Come on…” Suga murmurs, eyes fixed on the screen as Oikawa throws the ball into the air. He bounces on his foot, enough to get the power into the serve, and hits the ball cleanly. It’s over, and he makes the libero of the other team work for it. Argentina works like clockwork, the central cog being Oikawa, and the desperation is clear. They’re a point ahead and need to secure this last point before Oikawa crumbles.   
  
The ball comes back over the net harshly, but one of the back row manages to get it up. Even though Oikawa’s face is barely a few pixels in size, Suga can see the calculations running through his head.    
“Dump it!” Suga shouts to his TV. As if his boyfriend heard him, Oikawa taps it over the net hard, sending it straight into the court. 

The umpire waits a moment, and then the whistle blows.    
  
Time stops. 

Argentina erupts into shouts and yells and so does Suga, not caring that it’s far too early for him to be making so much noise. Oikawa has tears streaming down his face for all the right reasons. Suga promises himself that a few hard-earned massages are coming Oikawa’s way when he comes home. 

Suga waits for the call from Oikawa, quivering hands waiting right above his phone. The ringtone, Oikawa singing some shitty western pop song, startles him. He answers it without a second thought.    
  
“Koushi! We did it! We won!” Oikawa’s voice is strained.    
“I know, love. I saw,” Suga doesn’t try to hold in his fondness.    
Oikawa laughs into the phone. It makes Suga feel warm.    
“Is your leg okay, Tooru? I saw that it was acting up the whole fifth set.”   
Oikawa sighs, “It’s gonna need a lot of recovery time. Think I tore some muscles in my knee but I couldn’t find it in myself to leave my team and sit it out.”    
“Just go easy on it, alright? I’ll book you in for an appointment for when you get home.”   
“Thanks, love,” Oikawa whispers.   
“Anytime.”   
“Now go to bed!” Oikawa shouts into the phone, making Suga jump. “I know it’s late, so get your ass into bed before I come there and put you in bed myself.”   
“I wish you would.”   
“I know. I’ll be home in less than a week.”   
Suga turns the TV off and stands up, yawning. “Goodnight Tooru. Have fun celebrating.”   
“Goodnight Koushi, I will.”

  
  


* * *

Suga’s class  _ knows _ , when he walks in later that morning, that something good has happened. His grin is from ear to ear, and he can barely contain his excitement. He pins up the little Argentinian flag he keeps in his desk, knowing full well that when his coworkers come in they’ll ask about it.    
  
The kids have sport. The physical education teacher is away, so Suga offers to take the class.   
“Today we’ll be playing volleyball!” He grins, setting up the nets.    
His class cheers, running to grab the junior volleyballs from the storeroom.

Suga notes that quite a few of them, though young, have a lot of potential. He wonders if he can rope some of them into joining one of the local teams that Oikawa coaches when he’s home.    
  
He takes the time, when they’re all doing rallies over the tiny nets, to practice a serve or two against the wall. He plays in a social team with Daichi every weekend, but it always feels so nice to feel the ball hit his hand squarely. To hear the solid  _ thwack  _ of the ball takes him back to his high school days. He misses playing competitive volleyball, the rush is just something he craves, but after he left university he had no club associations and quickly fell behind. 

Maybe when Oikawa comes home he can convince one of the adult prefecture teams that he has both connections and skill.

  
  


* * *

Suga hates airports. Behind long queues for food and shrines before his student’s exams, they’re one of his least favourite spaces. He’s gone through them a lot over the past few years, though he still loathes every part of the process. 

Luckily today, he’s not alone. 

Iwaizumi meets him at the airport, graciously taking Suga’s overnight bag and shoving it in his car before they find the correct waiting area. They catch up on each other’s stories. They’re friends, have been since their third year of high school, but only talk in person or when Oikawa ropes them into a group call. 

“I heard he got injured,” Iwaizumi huffs, arms crossed.    
“Yeah, tore the muscles around his knee. He’s out for the count for at least the next six months.”   
Iwaizumi sighs, “Though, don’t tell him I told you, I think he was planning on this tournament to be his last one, at least professionally. We’re getting old now, and his body can’t keep up.”

“That’s news to me. Why didn’t he say anything?”

“It’s a secret,” Iwaizumi smiles, if a little menacing. “Just Aoba Johsai things.”   
Suga huffs, though he quickly becomes distracted when he sees that the flight Oikawa’s on has landed.    
  
“I’m nervous!” Suga rambles. “What if he realises I’m uglier in real life and dumps me. What if he forgets that I snore and I steal the bedsheets and he hates me for it. What if-”   
“Sugawara,” Iwaizumi sighs, “even if you had eight eyes and were bright pink, I think Oikawa would still love you.”

Suga wants to believe it. 

The wait, though short, is agonisingly painful. It’s been about 6 months since they’ve seen each other face to face, and Suga worries.    
  
Then they see him. His leg’s in a knee brace and he’s hobbling a little bit, wincing when he puts his weight on his leg.    
Suga  _ runs _ , faster than he has in years, and tumbles into Oikawa’s chest. He’s warm and he smells like cologne and plane food and sweat. Suga tears up, hiding his face in Oikawa’s shoulder. He doesn’t think he’ll ever let go. 

“Koushi, love,” Oikawa says through happy tears, “we’ve gotta get out of the way.”   
Suga shuffles as Oikawa hobbles, remaining firmly latched onto Oikawa’s chest.    
  
Iwaizumi takes Oikawa’s bag and Oikawa’s now-free hands come up to rest on Suga’s cheeks, pulling his face up. Suga can’t help but get lost in Oikawa’s eyes again. He presses gentle kisses to Suga’s lips, murmuring “I love you” in between.    
  
When Suga pulls away, finally letting go of the back of Oikawa’s shirt, Iwaizumi takes his place. Their hug is a lot shorter and a lot more aggressive, Iwaizumi slapping Oikawa’s back hard enough to make him lose his breath.   
“What were you thinking, hurting yourself like that?”   
Though he pretends he doesn’t care, it’s clear to Oikawa and Suga that Iwaizumi missed his best friend more than he cares to admit. 

“I’m sorry I was gone so long,” Oikawa replies. 

  
  


* * *

The car ride back to Iwaizumi’s house is long but not uncomfortable. It’s full of laughter and Oikawa forcing the other two to listen to what he considers ‘good Argentinian pop’.   
  
Suga contemplates buying him the next plane ticket back to Argentina. Instead, he takes the opportunity to take his hearing aids out and relish in the peaceful quiet that falls on his deaf ears. He can still hear the music, though it’s easily tuned out. 

Oikawa and Iwaizumi bicker on the way home, but it’s just their way of saying hello. Suga’s hand is tightly held in Oikawa’s, and it makes him feel safe. Oikawa’s giving him the adoring eyes that he’s missed so much and he can only assume that Iwaizumi’s gagging from the front seat means he’s got the same look. 

Oikawa’s other hand reaches up and ruffles Suga’s hair, sinking into the soft grey locks with ease. He leans into the touch, humming. 

  
  


* * *

Despite Oikawa’s injured leg, it’s obvious that he’ll still end up showing Suga just how much he’s missed him. Iwaizumi shows them to his spare bedroom and tells them promptly, “I’m going out for an hour.”   
  
Once Oikawa hears the front door close and footsteps disappear into the corridor, he gently pushes Suga back onto the western-style bed, pulling his own shirt off and grinning ear-to-ear.    
“Off,” he signs, and Suga obliges, following suit and removing his shirt too, throwing it away to deal with later.    
Oikawa’s face is a little pink as he runs his hands across Suga’s chest and stomach.    
“You’ve been working out. You’ve got nice abs.”   
Suga laughs, “couldn’t let you be the only one with a six pack.”

Oikawa leans over him and kisses him, passionate yet gentle, nibbling on his bottom lip until his mouth opens. Suga has missed the way Oikawa feels against him, missed the sharing of the air between them. He kisses down from Suga’s jaw to his neck, lower, lower. Suga leans up into the touch, only slightly, and he wishes he could hear the laugh that Oikawa lets out. 

“I’ve missed you,” Oikawa murmurs against Suga’s stomach, “I love you.”   
“I love you too, Tooru,” he whispers, hoping that his voice doesn’t give up on him. 

And then Oikawa goes lower and Suga blesses every god for just how well Oikawa treats him. 

**Author's Note:**

> i might write more parts to this, but we'll see
> 
> kudos and comments are greatly appreciated!! let me know if you want more in this series
> 
> come scream to me about oisuga on twitter at @ollie_declan


End file.
